Soloists, Bayerisches Staatsorchester. Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper. Conductor: Marco Armiliato. Nationatheater, Munich 19. 7.2010. (JMI)

Juha Uusitalo (Scarpia) and Karita Mattila (Tosca)

What a great pleasure it is to attend Munich’s Summer Opera Festival year on year, one of the most important events in the calendar. Although Munich probably lacks the glamour of Salzburg or the mystic ambiance of Bayreuth, its quality is second to none as far as I am concerned. My stay in Munich however, began with an almost all star Tosca, which unfortunately failed to meet my expectations.

This is the production that had its premiere at New York’s Metropolitan last September, where it was caused an almighty scandal. The truth is though – at least my truth – is that while different people might like it or hate it, there’s nothing terribly scandalous about it and I can only assume that New York’s reactions to it had more to do with the disappearance of Franco Zeffirelli’s old and much loved production, which seemed to be set as an integral part of the Metropolitan’s structure.

First of all, this is a traditional production, less spectacular than some others, but it follows the libretto faithfully; a rather spartan church in the first act, the Farnese Palace in the second – although it might just as easily be a less that luxurious room in a hotel, and finally a terrace on the fortress, but without the famous statue of the Angel. Costumes are appropriate to the time of the action, and are quite appealing as far as Tosca goes. The lighting could be improved, especially in the first two acts and the stage direction has some interesting details here and there but nothing radical since the three protagonists are what they have always been in so many other productions. The more personal touches happen in Act II, where Scarpia is entertained by a few women of easy virtue, before being stabbed several times by Tosca. Luc Bondy takes away the chandeliers and the crucifixes at the end of the Act, showing Tosca lying on the couch for the last few bars, calming herself by using the Marchesa Atavanti’s fan. It seems that she is not in any hurry to rescue Cavaradossi, even though there are only a few hours (Scarpia says one hour) of life left to him. In fact, she wears a different costume in Act III, presumably having had ample time to go to their villa to change her clothes. Her choice of costume did not seem the particularly suited to take “una tartana por Civitavecchia” either, but the third act remains totally traditional. In short then, the production is fairly conventional, less spectacular than some and not completely convincing at times but it’s certainly no kind of Eurotrash.

The musical direction was by Marco Armiliato. As I’ve written many times before in these pages, Mr. Armiliato has become the preferred conductor for many of today’s star singers, since he guarantees that the music will always be at their service and not the other way round. This time though, Maestro Armiliato’s dedication to the singers, seemed to cause him to forget that Tosca is an opera in which the music is merely incidental, but is really a first-rank protagonist in itself. His reading felt too routine in the first two acts, especially in the crucial second one where there was too little drama and tension. Things improved in the third act, but probably too late to make the performance particularly gripping and even the magnificent Bayerisches Staatsorchester seemed at less than its best.

The cast had three big names, particularly for the two main protagonists, but none of them have especially Latin voices. Finnish soprano Karita Mattila has been one of the greats in recent years, but has never had a strong affinity with the main Italian repertoire. Here she seemed not at her best, her voice having lost harmonics and, consequently, much of the attraction that this singer had until recently. Her performance was largely disappointing, with some rather forced top note and a lack of brightness in her timbre. She is still a consummated interpreter of the role, but this itself is not enough for a truly great Tosca.

Munich born tenor Jonas Kaufmann is surely one of the most important singers in the opera world. I find his dark timbre particularly attractive, even if his vocal projection is not always easy. But he is certainly a great singer, one of the very few able to move his audience. As Cavaradossi I found him slightly uneven, with some magnificent moments and others rather less so. I thought that there was a certain coolness in his interpretation and also what it seemed to me as certain lack of chemistry with Tosca. “Recondita Armonia” was good, finishing on an almost endless and beautiful piano but his “Vittora, vittoria” felt slightly cool although always bright and nicely sustained. “E Lucevan le stelle” was also well done, with a first part sung piano, almost whispered, which is not necessarily to everyone’s taste, and a second part full of commitment and passion. His “O, dolci mani”, one of those delightful pages, to which tenors normally pay insufficient attention, since is not a true aria, was also one of his best moments.

Finnish baritone Juha Uusitalo is not well suited for Scarpia, except in appearance to my mind, since I don’t feel that this is a good role for his voice. Scarpia is also a far more complicated charcater than a pure villain and needs an interpreter able to offer more nuances and intention in his singing which I simply did not find to be the case this time.

In the supporting roles the best was Kevin Conners as Spoletta, the veteran Enrico Fissore was an appropriately traditional Sacristan in and Christian Van Horn, as Angelotti, offered a lighter timbre than Kaufmann, when they met in the church.

There was a sold-out out house and plenty of “Suche karte” signs around. There were applause at open stage for Recondita Armonia and Vissi d’Arte, while Mr. Armiliato did not stop the Orchestra after “E lucevan le stelle”. At the final bows there was a warm reception for all the artists, in which the outright winner was Jonas Kaufmann. Marco Armiliato was received with sonorous and repeated booing, mixed with some applause.

NES Production in coproduction with Metropolitan Opera, New York and Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

Direction: Luc Bondy.

Sets: Richard Peduzzi.

Costumes: Milena Canonero.

Lighting: Michael Bauer.

Cast:

Floria Tosca: Karita Mattila.

Mario Cavaradossi: Jonas Kaufmann.

Baron Scarpia: Juha Uusitalo.

Sacristan: Enrico Fissore.

Cesare Angelotti: Christian Van Horn.

Spoletta: Kevin Conners.

Sciarrone: Rüdiger Trebes.

Jailer: Christian Rieger.

Shepherd: Soloist des Tölzer Knabenchors.

Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid, Conductor: Michele Mariotti, Teatro Real de Madrid 29. 6.2010 (JMI)

Teatro Real’s ‘Great Voices’ cycle comes to an end with this concert featuring two of Madrid’s most well loved singers. The concert raised great expectations, especially after Leo Nucci’s triumph in another concert in Bilbao a few weeks back. The Madrid concert was truly spectacular and I have never seen the Teatro Real audience as excited before, a real madhouse.
The first outstanding performance of the evening came from conductor Michele Mariotti, who at 31 is already a splendid maestro. In addition to accompanying the singers with much care and delicacy, he also provided some excellent overtures. If he was very good with La Favorita, his interpretation of the prelude to La Traviata was truly breathtaking and he also gave two other outstanding performances of the overtures to Luisa Miller and Nabucco. He was not quite at the same level of quality – it is true – in I Capuleti but he drew a wonderful result from the orchestra, which has, in fact, improved remarkably in the last two years.

The program was quite demanding for the two singers on stage. Rather than arias, they mostly sang full scenes, ending with real firework encores, as if they had not sung enough during the official concert.

Patrizia Ciofi is one of those singers whose performances must be taken as a whole. Her voice is not spectacular in volume or timbre, her top notes don’t leave the audience breathless, nor is her figure full of “charm” and “glamour” either. She possesses none of these qualities in especially large doses, but all of them are present in her performances all of the time, coupled with a capacity for communication that makes her one of the world’s few singing artists. This is not a singer made for studio recordings, but an artist – here is the word again – to be enjoyed in full on on the stage. After a good prison scene from Maria Stuarda, she sang “Il faut partir” from La fille du Régiment, where she was as exciting as usual in the role of Marie. She finished the concert’s first half with the duet betweeb Lucia and Enrico, in which both she and Leo Nucci brought the house down with a marvellous “Si tradirmi tu potrai”. She was superb when singing Violeta’s scene in Act I from La Traviata.

The official concert ended with two big scenes with Mr Nucci. Firstly, the duet between Violeta and Germont, and finally, the duet from Act II of Rigoletto, “Tutte le feste al tempio” and then crowned by ‘la Vendetta.’ A year ago these artists were forced to encore this last part by the sheer enthusiasm of their audience, which is exactly what happened again this time.

Leo Nucci is another singer who cannot be judged by separate elements in his performances or even by comparison with other other baritones from opera’s history. This can be done, of course but actually it doesn’t mean much: at 68 he is King of Baritones today, reaching the position after an exemplary career and remaining in miraculous vocal shape for a singer of his age. Nucci’s voice is not as impressive as some other baritones of the past, but few of them have been able to offer so many thrills onstage. The ability to move the audience is not simply in his voice, but in what might be called his internal “hard drive” so that he continues to be able to perform at the highest level possible with great consistency.

He began his concert with the Riccardo’s scene from I Puritani, where the voice was not at its best. He continued with the aria and cabaletta from La Favorita, in which the voice had already improved in the duet from Lucia Lammermmor Nucci was at his very best. In the concert’s second part he sang Renato’s scene from Un Ballo in Maschera, crowned with the aria “Eri Tu”, in which he was magnificent from beginning to end. In the concluding duet Nucci was more brilliant that deep as Papa Germont, and his Rigoletto in a spectacular Vendetta, was an exhibition of power, technique and breath control that put the house structurally at risk.

To end, I should decribe what happened next. The program ended at 22,30 and we finally left the Teatro Real at 2 minutes past eleven, where there were still people cheering to an empty stage. In those 32 minutes, the ovations and cheering were difficult to believe, at least for Spain. As could be expected, they sang La Vendetta again and afterwards, Patrizia Ciofi sang the aria from La Rondine “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” very well indeed. Then Leo Nucci asked the audience how about Chenier and he offered a spectacular “Nemico della patria”, which simply couldn’t have been any better. There was no way at all to stop the cheering and the singers decided to encore La Vendetta again. All told there were 13 minutes of encores and a further 18 of wildly enthusiastic cheering. This was the longest applause I ever have witnessed in Spain except after a performance of Gounod’s Faust at Barcelona’s Liceu in 1986. Alfredo Kraus and Mirella Freni were in the cast then.

The Teatro Real was apparently sold out, although a few empty seats were noticeable and I’d guess that the ticket holders decided to stay at home to watch the football game between Spain and Portugal.

Those that stayed at home missed something very special. Three great Italian artists at their best, baritone, soprano and conductor – with almost three generations between them in fact.

Wagner, Die Walküre: Soloists, chorus and orchestra, Donald Runnicles, conductor. San Francisco Opera, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. 22.6.2010 (HS)

Valkyries parachuting down in aviatrix garb, warriors dressed in World War I uniforms, Wotan as a three-piece-suited captain of industry, and Valhalla as a vaguely Art Deco high-rise overlooking a Gothan-like city set San Francisco Opera’s newest installment of Wagner’s Die Walküre firmly in the first half of the 20th century. It was a time of conflicts between good and evil that made it seem as if the world could come to an end, which is more or less what Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen is all about, and why this co-production with Washington Opera, updated in several details since its debut in 2007 there, works on many levels.

Michael Yeargan’s set designs remain sketchy enough to integrate with the overall thrust of Wagner’s drama, in which Wotan’s optimism that he can sort out his problems and save the world are shot down, only to find a glimmer of hope that a yet-unborn Siegfried could save the game in the next two chapters. Francesca Zambello’s direction focuses tightly on the personal interactions of the characters, right down to a brilliant team of eight valkyries that not only sang spectacularly well but created unmistakably individual characters.

All that would matter little if the music did not come through. Conductor Donald Runnicles, who led complete Ring cycles in 1990 and 1999 when he was music director of this company, shaped a muscular, vital, no-holds-barred performance from the orchestra. Nearly note-perfect, the pace and phrasing propelled the action nicely and inspired some superb singing.

Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde) and Christopher Ventris (Siegmund)

Act I belonged to Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek, in her house debut. Her Sieglinde, which she has sung at both Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera, oozed vulnerability even as she made the melodic lines gleam. As a Siegmund just a few decibels short of heroic, English tenor Christopher Ventris still managed to create a believable character and ride the musical lines effortlessly. His “Winterstürme” had a beautiful arc, and the final duet melded well with Westbroek.

From the first moments, this production made effective use of moving images, starting with a mad run through the forest seen from Siegmund’s eyes, projected onto a forward scrim. Changing sky views on the rear scrim added to the visual richness. In Act I the walls of Hunding’s hut open to reveal a gigantic moon rising against a dark blue sky, followed by red and orange pre-dawn skies.

As Hunding, bass Raymond Aceto manhandled Sieglinde, aptly demonstrating and why she wants out. His dark voice carried plenty of menace.

In Act II, bass-baritone Mark Delavan created a Wotan who started out joyful only to see his planning exposed and crumbled after a fateful visit from his long-suffering wife, Fricka (German mezzo soprano Janina Baechle, making her U.S. debut). Deploying a rich, focused sound, and done up rather like Margaret Dumont, she knows she has the upper hand in this conflict as the goddess of marriage, and she savors it.

Delavan relished every turn in the long monologue/scene that follows. His voice has the requisite richness and, when needed, power, but it’s essentially a bel canto sound. That’s perfect for this long scene in which he explains his dilemma to his favorite daughter, and despite her reluctance, he commands her to let Siegmund die in his confrontation with Hunding.

Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde) and Mark Delavan (Wotan)

Nina Stemme, singing Brünnhilde despite an announced bronchial infection, displayed no obvious effects of illness. In fact, she bounded around the stage without missing a note. Her opening salvo of ho-yo-to-ho’s might have had a bit more snap up top, but she drove the second scene of the act with impressively long singing lines. Her death-announcement scene with Siegmund felt true and affecting, as a stately parade of soldiers, holding photographs of the faces of actual U.S. servicemen who have perished in Iraq and Afghanistan, walked solemnly past in the background. Her decision to defy her father’s order and help Siegmund emerges naturally.

On the technical side, Siegmund’s sword actually broke in half on cue as Wotan pointed his spear at it. At the end of the act, in a telling dramatic choice, rather than disposing of Hunding with a flick of his wrist, as is often done, this Wotan walks up to him and twists his neck, another reference to 20th-cenruty warfare and an indication of how involved this god has become.

Scenically and musically, Act III brought the opera to a fitting climax. In a marvelous coup-de-theatre, the valkyries parachute in two or three at a time, and enter holding some of the photographs from the previous scene, indicating the warriors they were bringing to Valhalla. A ramp and stairs surround a circular rock center stage. The famous “Ride of the Valkyries” got an especially deft reading from Runnicles and the orchestra, as the singers distinguished themselves in both senses of the word. Delavan entered with barely controlled bluster, setting up a crackling final scene with Brünnhilde.

From an acting standpoint, there were several nice touches here. Once he decides how to punish her, Wotan sits on a step and Brünnhilde nestles against his lap in a picture-book father-daughter moment. This valkyrie, accepting her fate, walks to the rock on her own and lies upon it. Once Wotan puts her to sleep, he lifts her head and lovingly rests it on her backpack.

Musically, Stemme’s plea, with its a cappella phrases, was impeccably sung, and her entire scene felt movingly human. Although Delavan showed signs of flagging vocally, he tapped into some hidden reserve to deliver a full-bore, heart-rending “Leb wohl.” As the Magic Fire Music welled up, real fire sprang up around the stairs and ramps left, right and behind Brünnhilde’s rock. Finally, a scrim fell to show flames projected in front.

Media and public reaction to this production, which debuted June 10, has been ecstatic. The company presents three complete Ring cycles next June, with only Stemme and Delavan scheduled to reprise their roles from this cast.

Cast

Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme

Wotan: Mark Delavan

Sieglinde: Eva-Maria Westbroek

Siegmund: Christopher Ventris

Fricka: Janina Baechle

Hunding: Raymond Aceto

Ortlinde: Molly Fillmore

Schwertleite: Suzanne Hendrix

Waltraute: Daveda Karanas

Gerhilde: Wendy Bryn Harmer

Helmwige: Tamara Wapinsky

Siegrune: Maya Lahyani

Grimgerde: Pamela Dillard

Rossweise: Priti Gandhi

Production

Conductor: Donald Runnicles

Director: Francesca Zambello

Set Designer: Michael Yeargan

Costume Designer: Catherine Zuber

Lighting Designer: Mark McCullough

Projection Designer: Jan Hartley

Choreographer: Lawrence Pech

Soloists, chorus and orchestra of San Francisco Opera, Nicola Luisotti, conductor. War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, 9.6.2010 (HS)

Deborah Voigt has proven herself formidable in Wagner roles such as Sieglinde in Die Walküre or Senta in Die Fliegende Hollander, and Strauss heroines such as the Prima Donna in Ariadne auf Naxos or the Dyer’s Wife in Die Frau Ohne Schatten. In her role debut as Minnie in Puccini’s Fanciulla del West at San Francisco Opera last week, not so much, at least not vocally.

The company has been billing this as “The Girl of the Golden West” and cleverly promoting it as “the original spaghetti western.” Puccini set the scene in California’s Gold Rush, a time and place that must have been as exotic to him as the Japan of Madama Butterfly or the China of Turandot. Voigt, familiar to San Francisco audiences since her days here as an Adler Fellow, brings a straightforward American openness to the character, along with warmth and real charm. You can understand why the miners in the story would love her good-hearted saloonkeeper.

Unfortunately, the vocal demands do not suit her strengths. Heard on the production’s opening night June 9, her singing was blunt, lacking in Italianate legato and in the ebb and flow that makes Puccini’s music so immediate and enthralling. Dramatically, the big crowd scenes never jelled musically because she could hold the center vocally. The more intimate scenes, such as the love duets with tenor Salvatore Licitra and the confrontation with baritone Roberto Frontali, revved up to a higher intensity, but the difference between her choppy melodic lines and the plangent phrases of the two Italians created a wide gulf.

As the bandit and love interest Dick Johnson/Ramerrez, Licitra wielded a robust tenor that may have pulled back a tad on the top notes but played out the shapely lines with clarity and refinement. His Act 3 arietta, “Ch’ella mi creda,” was a moment of sweetness and glory. Frontali played and sang Rance, the sheriff with an unrequited yen for Minnie, with an emphasis on power over refinement. He made a frightening nemesis for Voigt’s Minnie.

The rest of the male cast hit their marks and sang well enough. As Wowkle, Minnie’s Indian housekeeper, rich-voiced mezzo soprano Maya Lahyani made a strong impression. What made this a successful, ultimately satisfying performance, however, was conductor Nicola Luisotti. The company’s music director has a passion for this score, and it showed in the loving details he brought out on every page. There was no lack of ebb and flow in his approach. The music pulsed and surged, sometime a bit too strongly for some of the singers, but no matter. The effect was exciting.

The production fell well short, however. Director Lorenzo Mariani brought no clarity to the opening bar room scene, creating a muddle. Other scenes that involved the large cast, with 17 credited singing roles, ran aground lifelessly. The Act II confrontation between Minnie and Rance had some snap, though, even if the shooting of Johnson/Ramerrez offstage was awkwardly handled.

The sets, designed by Maurizio Balò in a co-production with Teatro Massimo di Palermo and Opera Royal de Wallonie, did not help much. The opening tableau of miners wielding pick axes as they were suspended in front of a steep rocky wall, and the attempt at theatricality as the cast then unpacked black boxes with lamps and other props, distracted from rather than explicating the mis-en-scène. In the final scene, two men leading a docile horse delivered Minnie to save the day, drawing laughs instead of admiration. The horse-driven cart carrying the hero and heroine into the sunset started too soon and had to stop again before the curtain fell.

OK, there are more than a few risible moments in this opera, anyway, especially to a California audience familiar with the real history of the Gold Rush. Chuckles rippled through the house as Italian singers conclude that a character who wanted water in his whiskey must be from San Francisco, and nervous laughter greeted the portrayal of an American Indian muttering, “ugh.” The object should be to slip past those moments and get to the heart, and that only happened in fits and starts. When it did happen, the old Girl came to life.

The Teatro Calderón brought Italian director Elena Barbalich’s Macbeth to Valladolid, three years after its premier in Lisbon. The production concept is very traditional, grim, dark and well suited to the dramatic narrative. Sets are often rather light coloured however but are always appropriate while the dark toned costumes are less attractive. Lighting could have taken more advantage perhaps, of the production’s dark and scary atmosphere too. The direction portrays Lady Macbeth as the real manipulator behind her husband’s actions, which is absolutely right. The two scenes with the witches are well resolved, Macbeth’s party is less so and the ghostly apparitions and the final battle were not done so well either. There are some curious details in the production, such as the presence of the murdered King Duncan on stage, covered with a blood-spattered white sheet which when removed in order to have to the corpse washed, leaves no trace of blood on his royal skin. Overall though, this is an effective production.

The best part of the evening was the music. In charge of musical direction we had Maestro Pietro Rizzo, whose reading I found wholly convincing. I do not know how many rehearsals he had, considering that he was working with a Latvian orchestra and chorus but there was no doubt that Mr. Rizzo was in full control of all the forces under his care, producing some remarkable and truly Verdian sound. This was an excellent reading. The orchestra offered a fine execution of the score, better than what one usually hears in Valladolid, and the chorus produced a decent performance too; good rather than exceptional perhaps.

The Italian baritone Vittorio Vitelli sang Macbeth and he offered exactly what we might expect from him. He has a pleasant and homogenous voice, rather lightweight for Verdi maybe, but his biggest problem, as usual, was his lack of expressiveness and his habitual tendency to sing forte.

The Lady Macbeth was an almost unrecognizable Susan Neves. To begin with, she has lost more than 50 kilos in weight and unfortunately too, she was also lost quite a lot more in terms of her singing. Within four years she has gone from being a major soprano to becoming a literal shadow of what she used to be. The role is beyond of her current capability and it is to be hoped that she will regain her full potential again very soon.

Enrico Giuseppe Iori made a somewhat modest Banco with a wide middle range, which was whitish at the top and none too brilliant in the lower ranges. His aria was less than memorable. Francisco Corujo was also badly suited to Macduff. This capable tenor is too light for the role and his voice is generally too small for the character. Even Ramón Criado’s fairly mediocre Malcolm offered a bigger voice than Corujo’s. The smaller roles were generally poorly cast.

The Teatro Calderón had an almost full house but the public had few reasons to applaud during the performance: at the final bows they showed little more than courtesy to the artists.

Production from Teatro São Carlos, Lisbon.

Director: Elena Barbalich.

Sets and Costumes: Tommaso Lagattolla.

Lighting: Michele Vittoriano.

Cast:
Macbeth: Vittorio Vitelli.
Lady Macbeth: Susan Neves.
Macduff: Francisco Corujo.
Banco: Enrico Giuseppe Iori.
Malcolm: Ramón Criado.

There was a time when I was very disappointed when an opera belonging to the main repertoire was offered in concert version. With passing years I am now more inclined to accept it, provided that there is enough musical and vocal interest to justify the absence of a stage production. And since, with very few exceptions, it is almost impossible these days to see great opera singers in staged belcanto operas, I now consider the concert as a good substitute, provided that the musical and vocal quality matches the standards that these operas require.

The presence in the cast of Violeta Urmana and Sonia Ganassi largely explained Teatro Real’s slightly curious decision to go ahead with a Norma in concert version. If I am not mistaken, it is more than 30 years since has not been performed in Madrid at either the Teatro Real or Teatro de la Zarzuela.

The musical direction was entrusted to the always effective Italian conductor Massimo Zanetti. This time things worked much better than on some other occasions and this is probably the best performance I remember from him: in addition to perfectly controlled direction, he supported his singers very well and he drew an excellent performance from the orchestra along with one of the best results I can remember from the Teatro Royal’s chorus. Altogether this was an excellent musical version.

Violeta Urmana sang Norma and was clearly the main reason to program this concert. Hers was a remarkable interpretation, if not one that was completely convincing. Without entering in the discussion whether Ms Urmana is a soprano or a mezzo, I have always been convinced that she is always at her best in high mezzo roles. Norma requires a dramatic soprano with agility in the second part of the opera, while the first half requires a lyric soprano with outstanding coloratura and an easy top. In short, a true soprano is needed. Ms Urmana clearly has soprano notes, but this does not make her ideal for many sopranos roles or even some of those that she sings regularly. There was an announcement of her indisposition before the concert started and regardless of other possible health problems, I wondered if she might be suffering from “Norma virus”, as so many of her colleagues have suffered in the past. Ms Urmana is an important Norma however, despite needing better coloratura and a brighter top register. Too metallic this time and almost shouting occasionally, she was at her best in the opera’s second.

In a sense, we had two Adalgisas on stage, one more dramatic than the other but Sonia Ganassi was an ideal interpreter of the young priestess. When this Reggio Emilia born mezzo soprano is in the cast, the opera could almostbe called Adalgisa, even though she stops singing after the second duet with Norma. Sonia Ganassi was superb, as she always is in this role. She is an irreproachable singer with a beautiful voice, and she is in full control of all registers and modulations, giving great meaning to every phrase, even every word. She was magnificent in her duets with Norma and Pollione, as she was in the recitative “Sgombra è la sacra selva”. Fantastic, Ms Ganassi!

The Korean tenor Francesco Hong offered a valiant Pollione with a tendency to sing forte and without too much in the way of nuances. One cannot be too severe with any tenor who tackles this role which many of the great names do not want to sing and Mr Hong certainly sang better than in Bilbao a few months ago. Carlo Colombara made a convincing Oroveso. This good singer continues to offer a very pleasant voice in the middle range, with an elegant line and this time his usual problems in the high notes were much less noticeable: altogether much better than I expected.

In the supporting roles, Sandra Fernandez was good as Clotilde, with a pleasant and well projected voice and the young Peruvian tenor Andres Veramendi made a promising Flavio.

The Teatro Real was sold out, despite the fact that the warm weather in Madrid was not ideal for the theatre. There were applause and cheers during the concert, and at the final bows the reception was nothing less than triumphant. Sonia Ganassi and Violeta Urmana were loudly acclaimed while Maestro Zanetti, the orchestra and chorus shared in the general success.

Cast:

Norma: Violeta Urmana.
Adalgisa: Sonia Ganassi.
Pollione: Franceso Hong.
Oroveso: Carlo Colombara.
Clotilde: Sandra Ferrández.
Flavio: Andrés Veramendi.

Soloists, Orquesta y Coro Luis Mariano.Conductor: Nicola Giusti. Centro Cultural Amaia de Irún. 15.2010. (JMI)
Production Asociación Lírica Luis Mariano in coproduction with Associazione Amici Della Musica di Cuneo and Pierres Lyriques en Verán des Gaves.

The Luis Mariano Lyric Association takes its name from the world famous operetta tenor, who was born in Irún; the Association meets, with great enthusiasm, the operatic requirements of this border city of some 65,000 inhabitants. The Association’s opera performances are characterised by their great dignity, bearing in mind the difficulties faced, from a tiny stage to an orchestral space – there is no pit as such – which permits only some 30 players, and a very small budget. In these circumstances, there are two objectives which have to be met. Firstly, productions have to attract the public to the box office; next, this new public has to really enjoy what is put before them. I must say that both objectives were perfectly achieved on this occasion.

The big news – and the big plus – concerning these performances of Bellini’s La Sonnambula was the presence of Italian soprano Stefania Bonfadelli in the title role. This singer has lived through some dramatic and difficult circumstances in recent years. Still young (43), some five years ago she was one of the most beloved opera singers in the world, a regular performer at the most important opera houses. However problems in her ear forced her to cancel many bookings and led her to the operating theatre instead Her recovery has been very slow and difficult, so much so that she almost completely disappeared from the stage. This Sonnambula effectively marked Bonfadelli’s return as an opera singer, excellent news both for her and for the wider operatic community.

Bonfadelli’s performance as Amina was very encouraging. I found her to be on much better form than the last time I saw her, in Genoa some three and a half years ago, altogether more confident and free of the problems she showed then. She started relatively cautiously and was more restrained on stage than she had been before her problems. However, as the opera progressed she demonstrated more self-confidence and she closed with a spectacular final scene in which she impressed as both singer and actress. A great Amina must move the audience in the last 15 minutes of the opera: Bonfadelli convinced, thrilled, and triumphed. I hope that this Sonnambula will lead to the resumption and continuation of an interrupted career. My impression is that this may happen. The voice is virtually intact, her artistry is still there and one hopes that this performance will have done much for her necessary self-esteem. This, potentially, is great news for the world of opera.

Elvino was sung by the young Italian tenor Angelo Scardina, who really only shone at the top of his vocal range. In general he was very inexpressive and his musicality left much to be desired. Stefano Rinaldi sung the role of Count Rudolf and did so satisfactorily.

Nicola Giusti conducted effectively the orchestral forces under his baton, though it has to be said that the orchestra is no more than an enthusiastic group of young players. The choir was below the acceptable level.

Stage direction was the responsibility of the Frenchman François Ithurbide. Alhough it would be wrong to demand really great things in this particular theatre, it has to be said that it has hosted more interesting productions in the past.

The theatre was sold out and the audience showed their enthusiasm from the very beginning of the performance. At the final curtain Stefania Bonfadelli was loudly cheered – and deservedly so.

Director: François Ithurbide.

Cast:
Amina: Stefania Bonfadelli.

Elvino: Angelo Scardina.

Count Rodolfo: Stefano Rinaldi.

Lisa: Elena Barbé.

Teresa: Ainhoa López Soraluze.

Alessio: Rubén Ramada.

Soloists, Les Arts Florissants Conductor: William Christie. Teatro Real de Madrid. 18. 5.2010. (JMI)
New production Teatro Real in coproduction with Venice’s Teatro de la Fenice.

The Monteverdi trilogy, one of the recent star projects at Madrid’s Teatro Real, culminates with these performances of Poppea. The project has combined the talents of William Christie and director Pier Luigi Pizzi to provide what is surely one of the best possible displays of Monteverdi operas anywhere in the world.
In the previous two productions there had been no need to make major decisions to the music but things L’Incoronazione di Poppea, as the program explains, comes in two versions, the original from Venice and a later one from Naples, which differ considerably. The usual solution has been to present a mixture of both but since the Teatro Real’s is a co-production with La Fenice, it was a natural enough choice to opt for the Venice version, in a new edition by Jonathan Cable.
As in previous his earlier Monteverdi operas, Pier Luigi Pizzi presented a new production, one that is attractive from an aesthetic perspective, but it is somewhat static and unimaginative in purely theatrical terms. The sets consist of a rotating centre stage showing Nero’s Palace, and both Seneca’s and Poppea’s mansions. Both sides of the stage – and even its roof – have mirrors, reflecting the sets, producing many interesting effects. The costumes are also attractive, as always with Pizzi, but are also rather drab in choices of colour, mostly white, black, grey or fawn except for Drusilla’s cloak and for the opera’s final scene. Where Pizzi is less convincing is with pure stage direction which comes out as too static for much of the time although he has a group of excellent actors under his command, which helps to mitigate the sense of lack of life on stage. The way Pizzi handled the scene between Nero and Lucano was slightly strange, making it a gay love duet while in the libretto the singers refer to Poppea’s charms rather than their own.

William Christie and Les Arts Florissants were again the stars of this opera, as also was the case with L’Orfeo and Il Ritorno d’Ulisse. The quality of the group of17 musicians (16 plus Christie to the harpsichord) is always impressive but I should like to highlight the excellent work continuo playing, headed by William Christie himself, on harpsichord, organ and regal. Jonathan Cable – who edited the score for the production – also played the continuo double bass. It is hard to think of a better choice than Mr Christie and Les Arts Florissants for a Monteverdi trilogy.
Poppea was sung by soprano Danielle De Niese, who providing a very convincing interpretation of the ambitious Empress. Her Poppea would be difficult for anyone resist to, such is the sensuality emanating from her portrayal. Vocally, her singing is not quite completely outstanding, but it works out very well, giving much expressive sense to the recitatives.
To cast a countertenor as Nero is a rather questionable decision. Having in the past the experienced the role sung by both a mezzo soprano and a tenor, personally, I preferred the ‘trouser role’ option’ but this time decision the French Philippe Jaroussky sang it, preserving – in a sense – the historical line back to the original use of a soprano castrato. His stage presentation, as well as his vocal performance, were both wholly positive and he flew high in both respects. A slightly different issue – and purely a matter of personal preference which many people would certainly not share – is that I find some elements in his voice slightly unattractive, particularly some aspects of his upper register. As I say though, this is entirely a question of personal taste.
The Italian mezzo soprano Anna Bonitatibus made a splendid Ottavia with a powerful and very expressive voice perfectly suited to the opera’s style. She was excellent and very moving in both “Addio, Roma”, and in “Disprezzata Regina”.
The role of Ottone also provides alternative for vocal casting, although the common practice is to use a countertenor in line with the original castrato mezzo soprano. This was the Teatro Real’s choice and they commissioned the Croatian countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic for the role of the future Roman Emperor. I found him much improved over his previous performances in this same role: the voice is not large, but it is much more pleasant than the sound from some other countertenors who sing Ottone.
A very positive impression was left by the Portuguese soprano Anne Quintans who has both a beautiful voice and appearance. Her Drusilla was excellent. The British tenor Robert Burt did not convince me as Arnalta. Antonio Abete made a good Seneca, and Brazilian countertenor José Lemos was an acceptable interpreter of la Nutrice. The young soprano Suzana Ograjensek was also good as Valletto, although since this character also allows various vocal choices, I slightly prefer a pleasant tenor, as provided at Barcelona’s Liceu last year. The trio of goddesses was well covered, Claire Debono sang the part of Fortuna in the Prologue, but was at her best as Pallade announcing his impending death to Seneca. Katherine Watson left a strong impression too , as did Hanna Bayodi- Hirt.
There was a full house, the usual situation in Madrid, with a few emptied seats after the break. At the final bows, in addition to William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, who were justly acclaimed, there were sonorous cheers for Jaroussky, Bonitatibus and de Niese – in that order, so far as I could gauge.

Direction: Pier Luigi Pizzi.

Sets and Costumes: Pier Luigi Pizzi.

Lighting: Sergio Rossi.

Cast:
Poppea: Danielle De Niese.

Nerone: Philippe Jaroussky.

Ottavia: Anna Bonitatibus.

Ottone: Max Emanuel Cencic.

Drusilla: Ana Quintans.

Seneca: Antonio Abete.

Nutrice: José Lemos.

Arnalta: Robert Burt.

Fortuna/Pallade/Venere: Claire Debono.

Virtú/Damigella: Katherine Watson.

Amore: Hanna Bayodi-Hirt.

Valletto: Suzana Ograjensek.

Lucano: Mathias Vidal.

Liberto/Tribuno: Andreas Wolf.

Mercurio/Tribuno: Damian Whiteley.